Spring Campout

Dear Colt,

Pack 1 goes on 2 campouts each year and their spring campout was only a few miles away!  At the time of the campout, you'd only been an active scout for about a month so we didn't think you were ready for the full-blown weekend.  Confession:  another factor of that decision was that the weather was unseasonably cold for late April and a nice, warm bed sounded much better than a thin tent! Instead, we just participated in Saturday's lineup.  

We arrived right after lunch and we were just in time for a game of kickball.  Here, you were pitching.  I loved that it was parents and kids playing together!!

Then some of your pack went to a team building course.  Here y'all are listening to the leader as he challenged you all to stand on the log and put yourselves in height order without anyone falling off the log!

Another obstacle required that you all fit yourselves on this tiny board.  To complete the task, you had to sing "Row, row, row your boat" together without falling off.  That made everyone laugh out loud!

Later, you got to try archery for the first time! 

You truly enjoyed every activity they had y'all do but your favorite part was doing everything with your friends.  And the smiles in this one picture are enough to make me want to stick with scouting for the long haul!

 

Your pack leader lead everyone on a hike through the woods before dinner.

We got together to pray before dinner and then I asked for a quick group picture before y'all ran off to the chow line.

I melted over this cuteness as you headed to that night's campfire.  I love the way the older scouts take the younger boys under their wing -- literally.

Campfire was the time for jokes, stories, and skits performed by each den.

Of course, I thought your den was the cutest ; )

S'mores around the campfire was the final event before lights out so we indulged and then slipped away to our warm houses.

We spent almost 10 hours with your scout troop that day but you were already asking on the drive home if we can stay for the whole weekend at the fall campout!  I just love that you love it!! 

Happy 9th Birthday, Jackson David!!

Dearest Jackson,

Your 9th birthday fell on a Friday this year so you had school that day but we surprised you before you left that morning with this huge message on our front lawn!

After school, you had a few friends over and we piled all of you into our cars to head to your party.

Everyone else met us at Main Event and the party started with bowling.

Y'all played 2 games of laser tag afterward.

And then it was time for pizza and cookie cake.  You designed a fun look making it half a soccer ball and half a baseball.

The party ended in the arcade and this smile tells me it might've been your favorite part!

You're the reason for so many of our smiles over the past 9 years.  We love your energy and caring heart.  You're an awesome big brother, a helpful teammate, a level-headed student, and a budding comedian.  Thanks to an overabundance of examples between your teachers and your parents, sarcasm has recently joined your vocabulary and you lay it on thick sometimes.  You are a homebody but you're always game to head to a sporting event (your own or those of others).  You don't have a huge group of friends but you seem to be nice to everyone.  We're still learning you and, the more we learn, the more we love.

Happy, happy, happy birthday, baby boy!

April's Awesomeness

Dear Colt and Jax,

April was filled with so many awesome moments and the trusty Iphone was there for a lot of it :)

The month started with the awesomest of the awesome when our besties bought a house in our neighborhood!!!  You can see the excitement on our faces as Michelle gave me a tour of their beautiful backyard! 

You also got excited when you practiced the 1.2 mile bike ride to their house & it only took 10 minutes!

Haircuts were needed to get y'all through the remainder of the school year.  Gone are the days of me taking pictures of your haircuts but I had to document this one since you were in "Grandpa's chair with his hair guy"! 

When I picked you up at school one day, you wanted me to see your artwork.  Can't you spot it???

Marcus High School had a special night where local youth were allowed to join the players on the field.  You and your other MHS feeder teammates enjoyed the game together.

 And then your soccer team was invited to join players on the field at the Dallas Cup.  

That's you, in the yellow, Jackson!  :)

My chaperoning adventures continued when I accompanied your class to Elm Fork at UNT.  This was a great trip because a) it was so easy since your class stays together and UNT's grad. students do all the leading and b) this is the same trip I went on year after year as a 3rd grade teacher.  (All the 3rd graders in our school district go here.)

Private batting lessons continued with Coach Frank...

Braxton hosted his nearest and dearest at Pinstack to celebrate his 9th birthday.

And then it was Easter & you looked as handsome as ever at Grandpa and Grandma's church!

The truck wasn't moving, of course!

Grandma spoiled the both of you with full baskets!

At this point, summer break feels SO CLOSE!!  : ) : ) : ) : )

Bluebonnets

Dearest Texans,

Our tradition of stalking native wildflowers lives on!!! 

I can't believe that it was 5 years ago that we were introducing Grandma to her first field of beautiful bluebonnets!  

 

She came with us again this year as we walked along Lake Grapevine but I didn't even think to have y'all recreate that precious picture!  Next year!???

 

Jax, I love that you're such an "easy smiler" -- braces and all!

Colt, I love your line of freckles!

Me:  How about you give each other a little kiss?

Y'all:  Faces and giggles.

Me:  Ok, fine.  Just a hug then.

Y'all:

Of course, you two preferred exploring the shoreline rather than posing among the flower patches!

Later, you told me that you'd still take these annual pictures for me until you're 15.  

I'm documenting it and totally holding you to it!  : )